


Something's rotten in the state of Denmark

by little_werewolf



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-10
Updated: 2011-12-10
Packaged: 2017-10-27 04:23:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,680
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/291584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/little_werewolf/pseuds/little_werewolf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Remus never expected that when he was sent on a mission to Denmark, he would have none other than Sirius Black as his babysitter.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Something's rotten in the state of Denmark

**Author's Note:**

> As this fic is taking place in Copenhagen, I have used the words "København" and "ulv" in the fic, they mean Copenhagen and wolf. Also thanks a lot to the patient shaggy mods and my wonderful beta.
> 
> This fic was written for the Shaggy Dog Swap at Livejournal, for the wonderful fanart created by pandafoot105.
> 
> Please check out here art here [Sun Up, Wind High](http://shaggydog-swap.livejournal.com/11130.html)

Remus wasn’t exactly an outgoing person and sometimes, being in a group of people who had all gone to Hogwarts, who all knew each other in some way, made him feel left out. If it weren’t for Dumbledore he wouldn’t even be here, let alone have a wand nor be able to do any magic at all.

Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if this had ever been a good idea. A werewolf with a wand, the Ministry officials had laughed when they heard about it, and all the wizards he had known until now had looked at him if he was nothing more than a piece of filth. Here, in the Order it was different, but still he had the nagging feeling that people were talking behind his back and it was still not within his measures of understanding why Dumbledore had ever made him join.

“Remus,” a voice called out, and Remus looked up, his expression growing composed as he saw Dumbledore walking up to him. Just the man he wanted, because he didn’t want to delay his departure any longer. There was a train to catch after all, and he didn’t want to stress himself by being delayed.

“I would like to introduce you to Sirius Black, he will be joining you on your mission,” Dumbledore continued and only then Remus noticed the man behind Dumbledore. He of course knew Black from seeing him at the meetings. Stupid too good-looking for himself Black, who always needed to have the last word, always needed to be right and have his ego boosted in every way possible. He blanched at the thought of having someone like him accompanying him on a mission that might very well last a few months. 

“Sir, I am sure I can manage,” Remus replied instantly, looking up at Dumbledore with what he hoped wasn't a pleading expression and then back at Black. Apparently, the other man had known about this longer, because there was this trademark smirk on his face, and a huge backpack heaved over his shoulder. He bared his teeth for the shortest of seconds and then looked back up at Dumbledore, who by now was looking at him with that smile that meant that Remus would definitely not have any kind of say in this and if he tried, he would be getting himself into a big load of trouble. Swallowing the profanities that were threatening to leave his lips, which weren’t a lot really and not exactly rude either, Remus heaved a deep sigh.

“Sirius, this is Remus,” was Dumbledore’s only reply, stepping aside to let the two men greet properly. Remus was immediately greeted by Sirius’s outstretched hand and he pushed himself into being civil with this man, because, after all, he was going to have to spend a lot of time with him, and reached out to shake it. It was a firm shake, and Remus thought he could see the smirk disappear from Sirius’s features for a moment, but he must have imagined it because seconds later it was there again.

“Nice to meet you, Remus,” Sirius said with a broad smile, managing to flash his absolutely straight and white teeth. Pushing away all thoughts of how good-looking Black could be, Remus simply nodded at him in return and then reached down for his backpack. They would have to get to the Liverpool station soon to catch their train to Harwich and then continue from there on.    
“I hope you have packed everything you needed, Black, Denmark is supposed to be pretty cold during the winter,” Remus noted, wondering if the man knew what he was getting himself into and inwardly cursing Dumbledore for his crazy idea of sending Black along. 

“Got everything I need, grumpy pants,” Sirius replied and the words simply made Remus want to hit the man and cry out in frustration. Instead, he turned back towards Dumbledore, hoping for some kind of luck to strike, making the old man decide that Remus didn’t need a protector guarding his back.

“You will find everything you need once you arrive at the location. Keep contact to a minimum, we don’t want to have any owls intercepted. Also, remember, you’re living in a Muggle area, I shouldn't have to remind you to keep magic at a minimum. Here are all the tickets you will need to get to your location, and some extra money for the journey,” Dumbledore said firmly, handing Remus a small purse with the said essentials. Knowing he had lost any chance of voicing his complaint about Black accompanying him, Remus took the purse with a small nod and placed it in his bag where it would be easy to find. Making sure once again that all the pockets were closed and that he had indeed packed everything he needed, Remus pulled the backpack over his shoulders.

“Of course, Professor. We will contact you as soon as we’ve settled,” Remus replied and then walked past Dumbledore and Black over to the door. When he didn’t hear any footsteps behind him, he looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at Black. “Come on, Black, what are you waiting for, you’re not going to get a special invitation,” he said, his voice irritated and then, without another glance, stepped outside. It wouldn’t be a long walk to the train station, and if Black was actually going to catch up they wouldn’t be late. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Remus was just about to turn back when he heard footsteps behind him, soon realising that it was Black as he heard the other man’s voice. “You know, I do have a first name,” Black remarked and the urge to punch the other man was growing inside Remus with every moment. He wondered what Dumbledore was trying to achieve with this, picking out Sirius to join him. He was sure the older man knew what Remus thought of Black, or what he thought of Black and Potter in general. Sighing heavily, Remus once more glanced at his watch and then increased his pace a little. 

“I know, Black, now keep up, we have a train to catch,” Remus simply replied and without another word lead the way to the station. He didn’t speak for the rest of the way, and not even in the train when they had found their seats. Black had tried several times to get his attention, and Remus had done his best to ignore it as much as possible. By the time they had reached Harwich, and had found their way to the harbour where they would take the ferry to Denmark, Remus could feel himself growing hungry. He hadn’t packed anything to eat, and he knew that Black would probably be hungry as well. And while Remus wasn’t keen on communicating with Black, he wasn’t going to forget his manners and ignore the other man's possible hunger.    
“We’ve still got 40 minutes until the ferry arrives, let's grab something to eat,” Remus ended up saying as a matter of fact, not sparing a glance at Black as he headed for the small shop that was right in front of them. They each bought a sandwich and something to drink, ending up sitting on the pier next to their bags and enjoying the last rays of the somewhat warm sun.    
“You don’t talk much, do you,” Black said after the first few bites of his sandwich, and Remus guessed that Black’s patience must have grown rather thin by now. 

“I don’t see the need to,” Remus simply replied, taking another bite of his sandwich. He admitted that it hadn’t been the best idea to sit out here on the pier, the wood was rather cold but the chairs had looked like they were going to fall into pieces if one sat down.   
“Well, since we’re probably going to be spending some valid time together, I think we should get to know each other better,” Sirius deadpanned, and there was that broad grin that Remus had wanted to punch off the other man’s face ever since he had seen him the first time. He just couldn’t understand how someone could be so cheerful the whole time, add to that Black's apparent level of energy and the fact that the man was never able to keep his mouth shut, and Remus was sure that he was going to go around the bend after one week of them living together.   
Not feeling the urge to reply right now, Remus turned his gaze away and took in the view, frowning a little at the sight of the rough waves crashing on to the shore. He had never been on a boat before, and he wasn’t entirely sure what his mind would think of having to be aboard one. Alright, so maybe a ferry was a bit bigger than a simple boat, in the sense that it wouldn't roll as much in the waves as a yacht, but still it would move in ways Remus’s stomach probably didn’t appreciate.

“Alright, I’ll start off then. I was born into the most noble and ancient house of Black, lots of bullshit if you ask me. Went to Hogwarts, and got sorted into Gryffindor…”

“Figures,” Remus interrupted, not yet looking at Sirius. 

“Why do you say that?” Sirius instantly asked and Remus immediately regretted letting himself answer. Letting out what he hoped to be an annoying sigh, maybe Black would finally catch the hint that Remus didn’t want to speak with him, Remus looked up with a disinterested expression.

“Well, first of all, you always want to be in the middle of everyone’s attention; have the tendency to boast whenever you find the chance and third, think you are the best and don’t at all mind to have your ego stroked whenever possible. Typical Gryffindor,” he explained, then took another bite of his sandwich.

Remus thought, maybe even hoped, that Black would feel majorly insulted at what Remus had just said and would decide to leave and let Remus go on the mission on his own. What he hadn’t expected was for that expression on Black’s face to grow into an amused grin which was then followed by loud barking laughter. He couldn’t help but simply stare at the other man, utterly shocked, wondering if he was even more around the bend that Remus had imagined. This only seemed to amuse Black even more, whose laughter just got even louder in the process.

“You’re not exactly used to being around Gryffindors, are you?” Black asked once he had somehow managed to get that loud laughter under control, and the shocked expression quickly disappeared from Remus’s face again. Closing his mouth, he swallowed audibly and then tried his hardest to look annoyed again. He wasn’t going to let the other man charm his way through to Remus, no, he wasn’t as susceptible to his charm as some of others in the Order. 

“How could I possibly be? I didn’t go to Hogwarts,” Remus replied cooly and this time he was glad to see that his words had surprised Black.

“But you’ve got a wand and you're a member of the Order,” Black replied rather dumbfounded and Remus let out a soft snort. He looked into the distance across the sea for a moment, reminding himself that life was never going to change and that people still tended to forget what he was, and all the prejudices that came along with it.

“And, as you know, I am still very much a werewolf,” Remus muttered. Pushing himself up on his feet, he wrapped the rest of his sandwich up in the plastic wrapper and but it into his backpack. He had seen the ferry coming in the distance and he didn’t want to spend hours standing somewhere in the back of a long line, continuing to freeze off valuable parts of his body. 

He only noticed now that the pier had seemingly filled itself with more people, especially around the small shop where they had gotten their food. It was interesting to see how many people were still interested in travelling by boat. 

“That’s not a reason not to go to Hogwarts,” Black interjected, getting off the ground as well and brushing the dirt off his trousers.

“Well, apparently for the Wizengamot it is,” Remus spat out bitterly and then pulled his backpack over his shoulders and stared stoically at the sea. He didn’t want to admit that Black had managed to hit a nerve with that question, and neither wanted to show that he was very much confused that the man had seemingly looked past his Lycanthropy without batting an eye.

Neither of them said another word until the boat came, watching quietly as masses of people departed from it. When they were finally allowed to board the boat, Remus felt like his bag was going to cut off his shoulders some time soon and he wished for a nice comfy bed where he could sleep until next day. His dream was quickly erased as they finally reached the cabin they had to share. It wasn’t that small, but also just barely big enough for two people, a window leading outside and a bunk bed to the side. 

“I'm sleeping on top,” Black said, throwing his bag on to the floor and instantly climbing on to the top bed.

“Suits me,” Remus muttered, sitting down on the bottom bed and resting his head in his hands. This was going to be a very long trip.

After both of them had gotten an hour's rest, Black’s hyperactivity had become visible again. So after a while, they had left their cabin to explore the boat. Remus told himself that he had only gone out with Black because he could no longer stand listening to his constant whining, and not because his mind was having the crazy idea of actually wanting to get to know the other man. They had ended up at the boat's restaurant, having a small and rather dreadful dinner, and Remus had found himself almost smiling when Black had ended up making the situation almost comical, by praising the food as the best he had ever eaten in his entire life. 

Then, they had headed out to the deck and had noticed that the waves were getting rougher, something that Remus didn’t find too entertaining. Black, however, seemed to be having the time of his life, and while he had let the man stay outside to enjoy it, Remus had returned to their quarters to hopefully catch some sleep before the next day. 

It had taken a while for Remus to fall asleep, and even then his sleep had been very light. He had awoken again as soon as Black had returned to their cabin, leaving him to lie awake in bed for a few hours, trying his hardest not to get seasick, and when he had finally managed to fall asleep again it seemed only a moment before he was awoken by Black staring down at him, grinning like a fool.

“Good morning, sunshine! I brought you tea,” the man said in a way too cheerful voice that Remus couldn’t really reciprocate right now. At the mentioning of tea, however, he slowly pushed himself up to sit on the bed and made a grab for the plastic cup, narrowing his eyes as Black immediately held it out of his reach. “No no… get up and get dressed, you’ve got to come outside with me, it’s beautiful out there,” Black said in his still very cheerful voice and Remus imagined for a moment what it would be like if he could transform right at that moment and bite off the other man’s balls. Maybe then, Black would stop being so cheerful.

Opting to glare at the other man instead, Remus pushed himself out of bed and pulled on the clothes he had worn yesterday. He had checked out the washing facilities the night before and he had to admit that he doubted that the water the shower had to offer would even still be warm. 

“Not much of a talker in the mornings, are you?” Black asked once Remus was dressed, walking backwards with the cups still in his hands and leading the way out of the cabin out onto the deck.

“Not when people wake me up so rudely in the morning and then withhold tea from me. What time is it anyway?” Remus asked, glad that he had brought a jacket as he suddenly found himself standing outside on the deck. 

“Somewhere around 7 am,” Black retorted, leading Remus over to the railing and only then handing him one of the cups. 

“7 am?! Are you mad?!” Remus growled, almost ready to go back inside and tell the other man to royally fuck off as his eyes gazed along the horizon. The sea had calmed down since the night before and the sky had taken on an orange glow, the sun seemingly peeking over the edge of the water. Remus couldn’t help but be completely distracted from all his disgruntled emotions as he was enthralled by the sight. Taking a sip of his tea, which to his dismay tasted rather good, he let himself enjoy the view for a while.

Black, in the meanwhile, seemed to be attempting some sort of suicide mission. He had climbed up on the first bars of the railing, his legs spread for leverage and his arms raised up into the sky with his eyes closed. 

  


“I wonder if anyone would notice if I pushed you into the water,” Remus drawled, still not ready to forgive him for waking him at such an early hour of the day. 

“Aww come on, you wouldn’t do something like that,” Black replied, looking at Remus with that trademark smirk that Remus had seen often enough during Order gatherings.

Letting out a small huff, he turned around and headed back inside. He was starting to get cold and a little hungry. It would take another six to seven hours before they reached Denmark, and then they had another long train ride ahead of them and Remus didn’t want to spend it being exhausted the whole time. He looked up in surprise as he heard footsteps following him, not having thought that Black would come along but guessed that he wouldn’t be able to stop him.   
The breakfast on board was nothing special, and while Remus decided to have just enough to soothe his hungry stomach, Black seemed to be keen on stuffing himself with as much food as possible. Remus, however, kept his thoughts to himself, and once both of them had satisfied their need for food, they had once more headed out on the deck to enjoy the sunshine and whatever warmth it still had to offer. The winter would be hard enough and Remus was sure that it was going to be colder then it had been in England.

Finding their way to the train station wasn’t that hard. Everyone seemed to be rather friendly and helpful, and while neither of them spoke any word of Danish, communication with hand signs and the train ticket helped them to find the way. The train ride was quite uneventful and Black seemed to have accepted that Remus wasn’t the talkative kind until they reached Copenhagen main station. All the pent-up energy seemed to be bubbling out of Black, and Remus watched as the other man turned his head in every possible direction.

“Oh look, they have scones too, I wonder what they are called here,” Black intoned as they were walking past some small shops to get to the center of the station. The place was filled with people, and Remus for a moment felt a little lost. He realised quickly that his mind was settling into a cautious and slightly scared mode. Being in a country where he didn’t know the language, suddenly seemed more than he could handle and it made him want to be back in England, in his old and run down cottage with a cup of tea.

“Hey, Remus, everything alright?” Black suddenly asked and Remus almost jumped in surprise as he heard the man’s voice. It was followed by a hand on his shoulder and Remus could feel his whole body tensing in surprise. It had been such a long time since another human being had touched him, even if it were only a friendly touch like this one, and it made him almost snarl in surprise, his defenses rising quickly inside of him.

“Yes… everything fine, I think we need to head this way,” Remus mumbled as he pulled himself together again, pointing towards the sign where it said ‘spor 5-6' and then pulling his backpack from his shoulders. Putting it down on the floor, he opened the small pocket in which he had stowed all the tickets away and pulled out the ones they needed for the last ride, including a note with the address and directions on how to get there. 

Carefully re-reading the directions, he nodded and then pulled the backpack over his shoulders and lead the way towards the platform. 

Black seemed to be content just to follow him at the moment, and only voiced his worry when they were standing on the platform and they were about to miss the train, and once again as they stepped out of it 3 stations later and found themselves in a quite different-looking area. “Are you sure this is it?” Black asked and Remus couldn’t help it this time and glared at the other man.

“Maybe, you should show us the way then if you’re that worried,” Remus snapped, and he didn’t really mean to but the long travel and the unfamiliar area set him on edge. 

“I don’t have the directions.”

“Well, then better shut up and follow me,” Remus continued and without looking back walked down the stairs from the platform and out of the station. In front of them was a parking lot, and when he looked to the right there were bikes parked everywhere, and he couldn’t help but stare for a moment. He had never seen so many bicycles in one place before, and he wondered whether everyone just travelled like this and did this mean he would have to learn how to ride one of those things.

“The Danes look like a healthy bunch of people, huh?” Black commented and Remus just nodded.    
Once he had recovered from this surprise, which in the process had somehow helped to reduce his anxiousness, he lead the way across the carpark and then the street.

“At least, we don’t have to walk far to go grocery shopping,” he could hear Black say as they walked past a 'Netto', obviously a supermarket, and down the street. It seemed like a reasonable, orderly neighbourhood, even if Remus felt like he had been transported to Germany with all of these rectangle-looking houses, the style the Germans had picked up after the second World War. 

It took Remus two tries to find the right street where their flat was. 

At first, he had turned one street too early.They had stood in front of the house attempting to unlock it and had almost used magic to open the door, because the bloody key had just not wanted to work. Black had then suggested that they might simply be in the wrong street. Remus, having denied this very idea at first, pulled out the note with the directions again, and had then flushed crimson when he realised that Black had been right.

“Ooops,” Remus said quietly, and Black laughed loudly, making Remus join in with a shy quiet laugh.

“Well then, lets try this again,” he added and lead the way into the next street, where surprisingly the key turned in the main entrance door and miraculously in the door of the flat as well.

"They have got to be kidding me," Remus said quietly under his breath as he entered the flat, the tension of unfamiliar surroundings once more penetrating his senses. 

It consisted of one bathroom, a small kitchen, followed by a small bedroom and a larger living room. The flat was a good size and Remus wouldn't have minded it, if he weren't sharing it with another person and if there actually had been more than the one bed. 

"I guess we won't get cold during the winter then," Remus could hear Black teasing in the background and Remus wondered if there was seriously nothing that could ever unsettle the other man. Growling softly, Remus put his backpack down on the floor and headed into the kitchen. 

There was everything they would need, pots, pans and most importantly a kettle. What worried him, however, was that the flat didn't seem to have any kind of cellar, at least nothing he could see. Well, he still had another 20 days to worry about small things like that, the more important matter right now was that he needed to convince Black to sleep on the couch for the entirety of their stay. He had to admit that it wouldn’t be exactly nice of him, but he could care less right now. If it were up to him, Black could still return to England, letting Remus show Dumbledore that he didn’t need some kind of babysitter. 

He was just about to turn around and tell the man about his fabulous idea as he heard a call from the living room. "Hey, grumpy pants, there is a letter," Black shouted, letting Remus groan inwardly at Black’s futile attempt to lighten the mood. However, it made Remus wonder why Dumbledore had left them a letter when he had already given him all the instructions before coming here. Maybe there was still a cellar, or at least a second bedroom that was hidden somewhere and all you needed was to tap a wall with your wand. That would solve one of their current problems at hand, even if not the major one. 

"Well, then read it to us, macho man," Remus replied heading for the living room where Black was standing by the dining table, holding an envelope.

"I am getting to it. No need to stress yourself, it won't run away," Black teased and Remus just glared. They had been travelling for two days now, on very little sleep and his patience was running thin with the constant mockery. All he wanted right now was to curl up on the couch, with a mug of tea and a good book and hopefully later sleep deeply for several hours.   
"Yes yes, I am getting to it, so stop your glaring" Black grumbled, the first time openly reacting to Remus’s offensive reaction. Opening the envelope, the man pulled out a short letter and laid it flat on the table to read. 

 _Dear Remus and Sirius,_

 _I hope you have managed to get safely to Copenhagen without any major complications. I hope you will find everything you need and that the accommodation is to your liking. As you may have already noticed there is a supermarket just up the street and apparently the Muggle transportation is very easy to use. There is a cellar under the flat which Remus will be able to use during the full moon. The trap door is hidden under the carpet in the hallway.  
I have taken the liberty to open up a bank account in the Danske Bank, please find enclosed all the information you will be needing. There should be enough money to cover your expenses during your time here. _

 _I must remind you again to keep the use of magic to a minimum, this is a Muggle neighbourhood and it wouldn’t be good if I have to come over to discuss the use of magic with the Danish magical law enforcement. They don’t speak English very well._

 _Good luck on your mission.  
Albus Dumbledore_

 _P.S. I apologize for not stocking up the fridge, the lady at the supermarket didn’t seem to take well to someone wearing pink robes in the shop._

Remus reached out to take the letter from Black’s hands, turning it over once to see if there was maybe another p.s. note hidden somewhere, and then reading it again. Right now, he didn’t know how he was supposed to be dealing with Dumbledore's dry humor, and he found himself wanting nothing more than to curse the other man into the seven hells of glory and make sure that he would never come back.

“Well, I’ll better go out to do some grocery shopping then,” Black said after a while, seemingly calm and not at all perturbed by the situation at hand.

“I am not sharing a bed with you,” Remus couldn’t help but suddenly blurt out, feeling his head spinning from all the stuff that had been happening in the last 24 hours.

“Sure, suits me,” Black simply replied, and without saying another word grabbed the keys to the flat and left.

So much for passive agressiveness, Remus thought to himself and walked back into the bedroom to unpack.

Living the first week with Sirius Black was a very interesting one. On that first night, Remus had found out why Black hadn’t seemed too bothered about their sleeping arrangements. When the evening had drawn to an end and Remus had prepared to go to bed, the man had simply turned into a dog, curled up on the bed next to Remus and had quickly fallen asleep. At first, Remus hadn’t really known what to do about that. He was now, at least, able to understand why Dumbledore had decided that Sirius was the one to play his babysitter, but Remus admitted that he would have liked to know it in advance.

Things became more complicated as Remus started to prepare for his mission, where a human like Sirius would seriously be out of his boundaries. Rumors had it that Fenrir Greyback had started gathering werewolves outside of England, and that he had now settled down in Denmark to form a new pack of followers. There was no one in the Order who understood werewolves better then Remus, so the decision had been made; Remus would go to Copenhagen for a few months, try to gather as much information as possible, without it being too suspicious, of course, maybe even manage to stop this whole movement, and then return to England when he had all the information he needed.

There were only a couple of small disadvantages about this whole situation. Fenrir knew him personally and would probably be able to detect his scent from far away, and then there was the issue of werewolves not being allowed to use magic in Denmark due to certain regulations. It complicated matters just a little bit, but Remus hoped he would be able to work around it, somehow.

Black was more of a problem.

After Remus had been out in the city by himself a couple of times, attempting to find any sort of trace of werewolves, the man had complained. They had gotten into their first proper fight that day and after slamming doors and wishing for life to be easier, Remus had given in at the end. He didn't really have any other choice but to agree, because he really didn’t need to have to deal with a moody Black. After all, who knew what the other man could get up to when seriously bored and having nothing better to do than repeatedly kicking the wall. 

They had agreed that Sirius would join him as Padfoot, that was the name he had given his animagus form, and that he wouldn’t intervene in any kind of way unless he found it absolutely necessary. Black, apparently, had no problems with agreeing to that, and when they had tried it the first day Remus had to admit that he rather enjoyed the company of the Black dog.

It had taken him two weeks to find any kind of werewolf in Copenhagen and then, it was only because they had bumped into each other in a pub that either of them had caught the other's scents. The other man was tall and skinny, he had bright blue eyes and black well kept hair, somehow familiar to what Black looked like, only that Black had more muscles.

At first, the man said something in Danish, and Remus was certain he had recognized some words that seemed similar to English. Still, Danish was a very difficult language to understand and it reminded him how difficult this mission actually was.

“I haven’t met your scent here before,” the man said quietly, and Remus was surprised to hear the other man speak such a perfect English, even if the Danish accent was still very pronounced with each spoken word. 

“I have only been in Copenhagen a short while. You speak English,” Remus couldn’t help but reply in surprise.

“Many people here do, can I buy you a drink?” the man asked, and Remus instantly felt a nose against his palm, his hand replying by gently stroking the dog's black fur.

“Sure,” Remus replied and then followed the man out of the pub and down a narrow street into a different, smaller pub. There wasn’t a lot of light in the place, it smelled stuffy as if this place hadn’t experienced an open window in ages and there was a lingering heavy scent of pot. It irritated his senses, and it took him a few moments to get used to the smell, only relaxing a little again when they sat down at an empty table in the corner.

“What can I get you to drink?”

“Just a beer, thanks,” Remus said and then watched the man cross the room to the bar. He then looked down at Padfoot who had settled next to his chair, his ears twitching slightly as he looked up at him with a calm expression.

“Good dog,” he teased, reaching out to gently ruffle through the dog’s fur and then turned his attention back to the other man as he was returning with two bottles of beer. 

“There you go, Carlsberg, our local beer,” the man said putting the bottles on the table and then moving to sit down across from him. After clinking their bottles together, Remus took a sip from his beer and then put his bottle gently back down on the table.

“I am sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, I am Tristan,” Tristan held out his hand, making Remus immediately reach out to shake it. “Remus.”

“So you’re new to  _København_ ?” Tristan asked, taking another sip of his beer.

“Yes, since two weeks.”

“How does an  _ulv_  like you find your way to this city?” the man asked, and Remus took a sip of his beer before he answered.

“A what?”

“A wolf, of course, you are a lycanthrope, aren’t you?”

“Yes, of course.”

“So?”

“I was looking for a change of scenery,” he replied calmly. He had never had problems with lying to people he didn’t know. He had been forced to keep secrets throughout his entire life, one more or less didn’t really make any difference.

“An  _ulv_  with a wand looking for a change of scenery in  _København_ , where laws couldn’t be any stricter, humor me,” Tristan countered and Remus felt the colour drain from his face, his hand instantly reaching out to touch his right arm where his wand was hidden under his jumper. The other werewolf couldn’t have seen it, he was sure of that. 

“How did you know?” Remus couldn’t stop himself from asking, reaching out for his bottle of beer again, feeling the coolness against his skin soothing his nerves a little. 

“I can smell it,” Tristan calmly replied, Remus felt himself calm down a little, even if this added another point to the list of problems that he would have to deal with later.

Taking another sip from his beer he let his eyes scan the pub. This seemed like the place to go if you didn’t want to attract too much attention to yourself, and he was sure that the guy standing in the corner was a vampire. He looked down at Padfoot who by now had moved to lie down by Remus’s chair, his eyes open as they seemed to watch everything around them with passive curiosity. 

“So how much do you know of  _København_ so far?” Tristan asked after a while, and Remus let himself relax at the normality of the question. 

“Not that much yet, really, still attempting to get settled,” he replied.

“If you want I can show you around a little. Be your personal tourist guide, and introduce you to some other  _ulve_ ,” Tristan proposed, and Remus couldn’t help but grin shyly at the prospect. 

“That would be great. I never thought it would be so difficult to find my way here, I would be glad for any help I can get,” he then replied earnestly, hoping that he would somehow manage to gain Tristan’s trust and find out more about the werewolves here in Copenhagen. Maybe it would even mean the chance to head back home sooner, and as such not have to deal with Black’s constant company, even if it was rather bearable when the man was a dog. Not that Remus would ever admit that out loud. 

“No problem, at all. We’re ulve, we help each other out wherever we can,” Tristan said with a broad smile, and with that the matter was settled. 

They spent a few more hours talking and had agreed to meet up at the central train station the next day, to start with a sightseeing trip through the city. The day spent together had been as pleasant as the evening in the pub, so the two of them met often. Until it was time for the full moon and, while there had been the offer to spend it together, Remus had declined. He didn’t do well with transforming in unfamiliar places, and now that it was his first full moon away from home, he was worried that it would leave him an easy target when the morning came around. 

So he stayed at home, with Black, who for the matter seemed rather excited about spending the night with a wolf. He had somehow managed to convince Remus that he would spend the night with him as Padfoot, and since then been talking about nothing else.

After having set up all the necessary wards, he and Black had climbed down to the cellar hidden under the hallway an hour before moonrise, and then had waited. He couldn’t remember what had happened during the night, and when he finally awoke again, a small confused frown spread across his face. He felt warm and not as sore as he usually did. His eyes slowly blinked open, needing a few minutes before he was able to focus, and saw that he was actually back in bed, covered by two heavy blankets and that the curtains were drawn to block out the sunlight. 

Next, he noticed that there was someone looking at him, and he turned his head slowly to the side, not exactly used to being watched as he slept, let alone waking up feeling this warm after a full moon. 

Black was sitting on the floor next to the bed, watching him with what seemed to be a concerned expression. Remus opened his mouth to say something, but immediately got shushed, a cold wet cloth instantly pressed against his forehead. 

“Shhh… don’t talk. Try and get some more rest,” Black said quietly, wiping the cloth gently along Remus’s cheek and down his neck. 

Being too tired to complain, Remus let his eyes close again, almost instantly drifting back into a deep, exhausted sleep. When he awoke again, his head had lost its usual post moon fuzzyness and this time it didn’t take him that long to realise that he was indeed in bed and Black was still sitting at his bedside.

“How are you feeling?” the man asked, and Remus swallowed, tugging a little at the blankets covering him.

“Alright, I’ve had worse nights,” he admitted, his voice still hoarse and he swallowed, attempting to make his throat less sore. Slowly, he pushed himself up in a sitting position, then shivered as he felt the cold air against his back, instinctively making him pull the blankets tighter around him.

“If you’re up to it, I’ll make some tea and I’ve cooked some dinner,” Black said after a while, moved to get up from the floor and then headed out of the bedroom, leaving Remus to watch his retreating back with a confused frown. 

He had to admit that he had been nothing but quite the arse towards Black ever since they had met, and the only times he had been really civil to the other man, was when he was a dog and therefore unable of talking back at him. In spite of all that, Black had taken care of him after the full moon, had made sure he got the rest he needed and had even already prepared something for dinner. It made Remus feel like quite the twat for the way he'd been acting, guessing that maybe Black wasn’t as bad as he had made him out to be, and found himself willing to give the man a chance.

Nodding to himself, his way of mentally agreeing with this idea, Remus slowly climbed out of bed. Pulling on a warm shirt and trousers, followed by a warmer jumper and a pair of woolly socks, he headed out of the bedroom and peeked into the kitchen.

“What did you cook?” he asked tentatively, rubbing his hands together as he felt them growing cold, part of him wishing he was still under the warm blankets. 

“Uh.. nothing special, shepherd's pie, easy on the stomach. Here, take your tea, black with loads of milk and go and sit down at the table,” Remus was sure that he had never seen Black babbling like that before, and he couldn’t help but let out a small surprised gasp as he felt the warm tea mug pushed into his hands and then a gentle pair of hands turning him around, giving him a gentle nudge towards the living room. Remus realised two things at that moment, 1 – he didn’t tense when Black touched him, and 2 – Black knew how he liked his tea, how was that possible?

While letting those thoughts convert into a huge ball of confusion in his mind, Remus walked into the living room. Sitting down at the table as told, he sipped his tea slowly, sighing softly as he felt the warmth of the brew spreading through his body. He loved tea. When it was cold, warm, when he was hurting, or just in the mood for it, tea was the answer to everything. Even right now, even if it didn’t help in explaining the fact that his entire view on Sirius Black had suddenly changed. 

He had been so lost in his thoughts, that he had hardly realised when Black had joined him, not until he saw him there, setting down two plates filled with food, Remus certain that his plate was filled with an extra portion. 

“Eat,” was the only reply he got as he raised an eyebrow at Black, wanting to ask how the hell he was supposed to eat all that, but the words hadn’t even gotten out of his mouth before the man had already replied. 

Knowing he didn't really have a chance to try to reason this out with him, he put his nearly empty mug aside and started to slowly eat. They ate in companiable silence, and Remus was surprised at finding that by the time his stomach started to feel full and his body was starting to feel somewhat normal again, his plate was empty. 

“This was really good,” he admitted after having eaten the last forkful, and leaned back in his chair with a satisfied sigh.

“Great, you look better now with some food in your stomach,” Black replied, and there was that tentative smile again on the man’s face, and Remus couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened last night to embarrass him.

“Look, about last night. I know the sight isn’t the most pleasant one, I’d understand if you’d rather not do that again,” Remus said quietly, avoiding Black’s gaze.

“You what…. No! No! I'm not freaked out or anything. I thought the wolf was amazing,” Black said in what seemed a rather sincere voice, making Remus look up in shock, certain that Black had somehow grown two heads. No one had ever called him amazing. He had heard words like horrible, scary, disgusting; but never amazing.

“You’re mad,” he finally managed once he found his voice again, and was for once not surprised as Sirius immediately laughed out softly.

“So they all say, but that has never stopped me,” Sirius replied, making Remus chuckle in reply. 

It seemed as if the invisible barrier that had until now been between them had suddenly dissolved, and Sirius suddenly felt like an old friend he had known for years. Smiling to himself, he reached out for his mug again and quietly sipped the rest of his tea, watching out of the corner of his eye as Sirius cleared everything away. By the time he was done and Remus had finished his tea, he was starting to feel tired again. 

“I think I’ll return to bed for the night,” Remus said quietly, leaving his empty mug on the table and heading back to the bedroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he closed his eyes for a moment, not realising that Sirius had followed him until he felt him gently tugging at his jumper.

“What are you doing?” Remus mumbled, not having any energy left to open his eyes again.

“Making sure you actually get into bed and don’t fall asleep sitting,” Sirius replied, and his voice was so soft and caring, that Remus instinctively leaned forward, finding his head leaning against the other man’s chest. He smiled as he could hear the steady heartbeat beneath his ear and felt the rise and fall of Sirius’s chest. The feeling itself was already lulling him to sleep, making him want to stay like this for the rest of the night. 

“You will feel rather embarrassed about this once you wake up tomorrow morning and remember.”   
“I know… I can deal with that tomorrow.”

“Alright.” 

Remus whimpered as his head was pushed away, finally managing to force his eyes open and look up at the other man. Sirius had taken a step back and was now pulling off his own shirt and trousers, before leaning back over Remus to help him take off his trousers and then gently guided him to lie down. The next thing should have really woken him up, but apparently he was already too far gone to care, as Sirius moved to lie down next to him, pulled the blankets snug around them and then even wrapped an arm around Remus as well.

“What are you doing?” Remus still managed to ask, his voice already sounding rather sleepy.   
“Taking care of you, so shut up and get some sleep,” Sirius joked. Remus was about to reply that he didn’t need to be taken care of, but then felt a hand stroking gently through his hair, the feeling making him lose all his remaining resistance and Remus found himself drifting into a deep welcome sleep.

Remus had indeed felt rather embarrassed the next morning, but Sirius had quickly joked it away soon making Remus feel less embarrassed. Life continued as normal, well, as normal as one might call it, with the exception that each day, as Remus and Padfoot returned to the flat after meeting with Tristan, they would sit together and talk. Slowly, the two of them were getting to know each other and Remus had to admit that he really didn’t mind that at all.

What surprised him, however, was how quickly their friendship seemed to be evolving into something more, and Remus found himself more than once pulled into Sirius’s arms as they talked in the evenings. Or, he would feel the gentle brush of a hand against his shoulder, hand or through his hair. At night, nothing ever happened, both of them staying on each their part of the bed. Also with Tristan, things seemed to be continously changing. Remus still hadn’t met any other werewolves, but he was starting to learn how it was for werewolves here and understood how an offer like Fenrir’s might convince a lot of them to join him.

It was getting very close to Christmas when Tristan finally proposed for Remus to meet the other werewolves and it once more brought Remus back to the reality of their actual mission. He had of course agreed, letting the other man explain to him when and where exactly they were going to meet up.

On the day of the meetup, Remus couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. He couldn’t remember ever having met so many werewolves at once, and while he had read enough reports and books on how it worked in real packs, he had no idea what to expect. Sirius seemed to share his worry, but definitely not in any kind of positive direction.

“What if this is a trap?” Sirius said, his voice sounding louder than it had been in a long time.

“Why should this be a trap? Tristan has been nothing but nice the whole time, I don’t see why he should be out to lead us into a trap now,” Remus immediately countered. Rolling up the sleeves of his jumper, he then turned on the water and started to clean up their lunch dishes. 

“Exactly! That’s the point! He’s been too nice,” the black-haired man retorted, reaching out for a dish towel and started to dry everything as Remus handed it to him. 

“You’re being paranoid.”

“I'm being paranoid?! It’s Tristan this, Tristan that. You seem to be forgetting what we’re actually here for!”

“What we’re here for? You mean what I am here for. You were simply ordered to tag along. And what the fuck are you so jealous about?” Remus finally managed to shout back. This apparently made Sirius shut up for now and neither of them brought up the subject again. 

By the time, they had reached the meeting place, which ended up being quite a bit away from their flat in the middle of nowhere, Remus remembered Sirius’s words from that afternoon. He looked down at the Animagus, frowning a little, and reached out to stroke gently through the Black fur. He sincerely hoped that Sirius hadn’t been right, that there still were good werewolves out there and that he had possibly even found a friend. Swallowing, Remus looked around, sticking his hands in his pockets and shivered a little as heavy snow started falling from the black sky.

He almost jumped as he heard a crack behind him, his head whipping around, eyes immediately falling on a large, beast-looking man. Remus swallowed hard in an effort to control himself, feeling instantly intimitated by him.

“You must be Remus,” the man said in a low, growl-like voice that sent an unpleasant shiver down his spine.

“Yes, sir,” Remus replied, his voice sounding rather subdued and he yelped in surprise as he felt the Animagus’s nose bump into his hand, the dog whining softly. He looked down at him for a moment, tangling his fingers lightly into the Black fur and then slowly raised his eyes to look at the man standing before him.

“Do you know who I am?”

“You must be Fenrir Greyback, sir,” Remus said, not even needing a second to think it over, the answer coming like he had known the other man all his life.

“They told me you were clever,” Greyback replied, and Remus felt his insides churning as he realised his answer had been correct. Without really being aware of it, he took a small step back and then tensed even more as he heard soft laughter coming from all around them. Soon after, he was able to see a large group of people stepping out of the shadows to surround them, and he heard a low growl coming from the Animagus next to him.

“Apparently, not clever enough, otherwise you wouldn’t be playing Dumbledore’s pet dog, letting yourself be sent off to a different country to find me,” Greyback continued. “What does the old man think? That I am stupid?” There was another round of laughter, and Remus tightened his fingers slightly in the dog’s fur, taking in a deep calming breath.

“How did you know?” Remus couldn’t stop himself from asking, his breathing becoming a little heavier as he felt the first sparks of panic rushing through his body.

“Did you really think that Tristan wouldn’t tell me about you? I sent him after you. Otherwise, you would still be searching for a werewolf here without ever finding one,” Greyback replied in a mocking tone, and Remus couldn’t help but hearing Sirius’s words ringing through his ears again. He remembered all the questions that Tristan had asked him, how close they had gotten, Sirius’s jealousy and the fact that Remus for a while might indeed have forgotten what he had been sent here to do.

“Then, I am sure you know what I want,” Remus said as evenly as possible, resisting the urge to reach out for his wand that was still hidden under the sleeve of his jumper.

“Of course I do, pup,” Fenrir said and then took a step forward. Suddenly, he was standing right in front of Remus, and he couldn’t stop a whimper as he felt the rough hand stroking through his hair and then cupping his cheek.

“You’ve grown into a right handsome young man, I always knew you were going to be beautiful when I had bitten you.”

As Remus heard those words he suddenly felt his blood running cold. “You’re the one who did this to me,” he whispered hoarsely, his hands turning into fists as he felt his panic disappear, only to be replaced by a surge of anger. “You ruined my life!”

“I didn’t ruin anything, pup, I just made sure that I will have a healthy pack member when the time comes,” Fenrir drawled, and suddenly the man’s hand was tight on Remus’s chin, forcing him to bare his neck. Remus felt like his whole world had just been ripped apart, his insides were clenching in agony and he was sure that he was shaking all over.

“Now, is the time, my pup. You willingly came out here. You don’t belong to their world. We can give you what you want, a home, a place you can belong to. You don’t need a stick to defend yourself. You’re a werewolf, be proud of what you are,” Fenrir said, his voice sounding deep and authoritative, and Remus couldn’t stop himself from whimpering. “Come home, son.” 

Those last words stung deep in Remus’s chest, and all the memories of how his life had been until now washed through his mind. 

He knew that he shouldn’t even be considering this. He had heard enough about this werewolf to know that he was bad news, why else would Dumbledore have sent him here. But, he also remembered all the troubles he was having in the wizarding world. How he couldn’t hold down a steady job, how he was sure that soon he wouldn't be able to pay the rent on his home, let alone proper food, and what a good time he'd been having with Tristan.

Everything suddenly felt so confusing, and his eyes grew wide as one of the werewolves came a few steps closer, recognizing him as Tristan. “Remus,” he started, his voice sounding a little desperate. “Remember the good time we had. You belong here with us, not with them. Stay here, for me.”

Remus pressed his eyes tightly shut for a moment, trying to make sense of what was going through his mind. He was suddenly getting the feeling that there had never really been a mission to begin with. More like, Dumbledore offering him a way to find his proper place in this world. He whimpered again as he felt Fenrir's hand move from his chin down his neck, pushing under the layers of clothing to touch the scar on his shoulder. He tensed at the contact, images of that fateful night instantly rushing to the surface, making his decision suddenly logically appear in his mind.

“No,” Remus whispered firmly in reply.

“Are you sure, pup?” Fenrir asked, his voice ice cold and Remus felt his breath catch in his throat as he suddenly felt the man’s fingers grasp his shoulder, his claw-like nails digging into his skin.

“I am sure,” Remus replied evenly and then let out a loud scream as Fenrir dragged his nails deep into his shoulder, breaking the scarred skin. 

He was so distracted by the pain that he didn’t notice Sirius suddenly transforming next to him. Remus only managed to find his bearings again, as Fenrir was suddenly hexed away from him. He could feel Sirius’s arm around his waist, and he blinked up at him with a terrified expression on his face. They were clearly outnumbered right now, and it felt as if all the nightmares that Remus had ever had throughout the years were suddenly coming true.

His eyes fell on Tristan, his heart clenching in his chest and then a sickening feeling rushed through his body as he suddenly felt his feet leaving the ground, stumbling into their flat seconds later. Sirius’s hands seemed to be all over him, tugging him out of layers of clothing to reveal the damage Fenrir had done to his shoulder. 

“Why won’t this work!?” Sirius growled in frustration, after having tried every healing spell possible. 

“You can’t heal werewolf inflicted wounds, remember?” Remus whispered hoarsely, feeling his knees give out under him. He barely registered when Sirius bandaged his shoulder, not really coming to his senses until he felt Sirius wrapping his arms around him. Feeling the warmth of the other man’s body against his own suddenly made everything so real, and Remus let out a small sob, his body trembling as he was coming down from the adrenaline. 

“You made the right decision, it’s alright, I’ve got you,” Sirius murmured softly in his ear, repeating the words over and over again until Remus was too exhausted to stay awake any longer and fell asleep right there in Sirius’s arms. 

Both of them had been up early the next day, packed their belongings and had taken the first train heading to the ferry back to England. Neither of them said a word throughout the entire journey and by the time they had reached London, it felt more like a bad nightmare than anything else. Still, they weren't allowed to settle and calm down, Dumbledore immediately questioning them for hours to hear what had happened.

By the time they finally were ready to go home, 48 hours had passed since they left Copenhagen, neither having managed to sleep once.

“Where will you go now?” Sirius asked hoarsely as they were leaving the Order's headquarters again, both looking exhausted. 

“Home…” Remus replied quietly, not meeting Sirius’s gaze as he realised that their time was over now, that there wouldn’t be another full moon with the dog, another night of feeling Sirius’s warm body against his own. He would have to return to his cold cottage and empty fridge, and wonder how he was going to get food.

“Don’t be silly, it’s Christmas, come home with me,” Sirius retorted, and before Remus could decline, he found himself tugged along. 

It didn’t take long to reach Sirius’s flat. It was a nice, typical bachelor flat, with everything that a man at their age needed and most importantly, it was warm. 

“You don’t need to do this, Sirius, I don’t want to be a bother,” Remus said as they had entered the flat, immediately finding Sirius’s hands tugging at his jacket and shoes, then found himself ushered towards the living room.

“You’re not a bother, so shut up and sit down,” the man replied and then disappeared into the kitchen. Remus, feeling too tired to complain, simply let himself drop down on the couch. There was a large fireplace in the living room, pictures standing all along the mantle piece, there was a shelf filled with books, a muggle tv set and a broom leaning against the wall.

Just as Remus was about to get up and check the book collection, Sirius returned, carrying a tray with what smelled like meat pies and two mugs of freshly brewed tea. Smiling shyly, Remus watched as the man put everything down on the small coffee table in front of them, before sitting down next to Remus. 

“Tug in before it gets cold,” Sirius said, pushing a mug and a pie in each of Remus’s hands. 

“Yes, mum,” Remus managed to tease back hoarsely. He let out a sigh as he sipped the tea and noticed with satisfaction that it had been spiked with alcohol, feeling it instantly soothe his frayed nerves and warm up his body from the inside.

Neither of them spoke for a while, simply eating and drinking, giving them a chance to calm down from everything that had happened. By the time they were done, Remus suddenly found Sirius’s hand on his face, the man’s thumb caressing gently along his skin in a way that made Remus let out a small startled huff. 

“You really liked him, didn’t you?” Sirius asked quietly.

“Yeah… I thought…” Remus couldn’t continue, bowing his head and looking away, never really having been good at talking about his emotions. 

“I know I am not a werewolf… and I can’t offer the same. But I thought, we’ve spend so much time together already, I really like you, and… fucking hell.” Remus frowned as Sirius’s words didn’t really make a lot of sense, but then the man’s lips were on his and soon they were kissing as if their lives depended on it. When they finally pulled away from each other, it felt as if life had suddenly started making sense again. 

Remus realised that Sirius had been his ever since their first full moon. They had practically acted like a couple since the night Sirius had started sharing the bed with him, he had taken care of him when he had been down and had never left his side no matter what. Moreover, he knew that he now had no possible idea how to live without Sirius, and he had to admit to himself that he had rather a lot of warm feelings for him. He couldn’t help but feel foolish for not noticing this any time sooner, and could feel a small, soft smile appear on his lips.   
“I don’t need a werewolf to make me happy,” he whispered hoarsely and leaned back in to kiss Sirius again, only pulling back when he heard the faint sound of church bells in the distance.

“Merry Christmas, Sirius.”

“Merry Christmas, Remus,” the man replied, and Remus let himself be pulled into the other man’s arms, warmed by the inkling feeling that he wouldn’t have to worry about his life for a while to come.

  
 _Oh, I'm glad we'll be together  
On this evening in December  
We'll watch the falling snow  
And hold each other close  
I'm so glad we'll be together  
For an evening to remember  
On this night  
On this December night_   



End file.
